Every morning, the We Love Baseball crew reviews the Nastiest Pitches from the previous day’s games. If you see something you think should be included here be sure to tweet @PitcherList to let us know. Or, if you’re a PL+ Member and part of our Discord, shout it out in the Nastiest Pitches channel.
Justin Anderson’s Slider
Give credit to Jake Meyers, this nasty slider from former Angel, Justin Anderson, put him in a 0-2 hole, but he battled back earning a walk. Anderson is tossing the slider at a 52% clip and it’s yielded a 40.7% whiff rate.
Ryan Thompson’s Slider
Ryan Thompson’s slider has earned a 5.84 PLV (97th percentile) while holding batters to a .136 average and .121 wOBA. One look at his funky delivery makes you wonder how anyone has gotten a hit off him. Godspeed Nick Senzel.
Ryan Walker’s Slider
Imagine being a rookie and trying to hit this. I mean, really, what was Masyn Winn supposed to do? Fun fact, Walker’s slider is in the 97th percentile with 17 inches of glove side break.
Michael Kopech’s Fastball
Power vs. power. Michael Kopech went right at Yordan Álvarez in this at-bat, starting with a heater on the inner half for a called strike followed by another on the outside corner that Álvarez swung through. And then Kopech dialed up this 99 mph dart.
Evan Phillips‘ Sweeper
Evan Phillips needed 11 pitches to seal his 12th save of the season. His sweeper has held batters to a .143 average and .161 wOBA. Even at Coors Field, it felt like Ezequiel Tovar had no chance.
Spencer Arrighetti’s Curveball
Arrighetti didn’t have a great game against the White Sox thanks to a bunch of walks but he had a few moments. This sharp curve had Tommy Pham checking his bats for holes in the third.
Ryan Helsley’s Cutter
Ryan Helsley slammed the door on the Giants in the ninth inning of last night’s historic game at Rickwood Field in Alabama. Helsley started the inning by walking Trenton Brooks but got Brett Wisely to fly out to right before tormenting Heliot Ramos, one of the hottest hitters in baseball, with this nasty cutter.
James McArthur’s Curveball
There’s something very satisfying about a big hook that drops off the table. McArthur’s 4.85 ERA and 1.48 WHIP aren’t too great but his curveball’s 5.82 PLV certainly is.